Tag Archives: bishop arts

There’s a new kid in town.  Well, not so much a new kid as a clone of a kid that goes to school across town.  The owner of Pour House in Fort Worth, Eric Tschetter, brought his sports bar concept to Oak Cliff for the cliff dwellers and Kessler Theater goers.  It’s the perfect place for you southies to hang out and watch a game on one of the many TVs while snacking and … well, drinking.

PhD is deceptively large with a patio, bar, and restaurant area.  The patio has a lot of promise.  It’s: a) huge, b) decked out with TVs, and c) going to be screened in.  I can already imagine all of the great summer brunches I’ll be spending there with $1 mimosas in-hand.

The food (which we got to try a nice sampling of tonight), was great for bar food.  I’d recommend the Red Pepper Penne Pasta, Baja Fish Tacos (oh muh guh), and the buffalo wings.  Everything we had tasted like real food, not frozen fried things like most sports bars serve.

PhD’s drink options include local beers (think Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Rahr, and the brand new 4 Corners), the usual suspects (Bud, Blue Moon, etc.), a handful of wine options, and a full bar.  I enjoyed a couple Jacks on the rocks and the pours were quite generous.  Their cocktail menu hasn’t been finished yet, so stay tuned to hear about drink options.

Expect an update when their cocktail menu gets sussed out … but for now, head on down to Oak Cliff to catch a game if you’re tired of the crowded Uptown sports bars (because sometimes it’s nice to be able to order a beer and actually get it when you want it and not 20 minutes later).

three-oh-three

Another little resto that popped up down south in Bishop Arts area is the house-turned-bar/eatery, 303.  Aptly named, it’s located at 303 West Davis.  I’m not sure how novel naming a bar after its address is anymore, but it’s catchy nonetheless.

303 took over and renovated a little house complete with a fireplace and wrap-around porch (yup).  Watch out, all, the porch is segregated (yeah, you read that right).  There are separate porches for the eaters/drinkers and the drinkers/smokers – both complete with TVs as to not miss a second of your favorite basketball/football/lacrosse game.  The three TVs inside and the fact that they serve beer and pulled pork pancakes for brunch round out your Sunday afternoons – the locals found this out pretty quickly and have already claimed this place as their own.

Sidle up to the bar (because, let’s face it, I know bars better than tables) and peruse the menu – lots of sandwiches along with some other homemade favorites.  I didn’t eat anything, so I can’t say much about the food — sorry for partying.  They have fish and chips, so you know I’ll be back! 

In the drinks, though, I partook.  Andrew, bartender and some other sort of important person at 303, recommended the Gummy Bear Martini.  I’d say pass on it unless you like those so-sweet-you-only-want-one drinks.  However, he seems to know his way around that bar, so ask for him anyway.  Their beer selection is limited, but they offer the usuals (Miller, Coors, Dos XX, Shiner, Heineken, Corona, Tecate, PBR, and NATTY LIGHT).  Selected beers are also available on draft.  If you’re a wine fan, they have that, too.

The last things I’m going to say are these three small things:
– They have a fireplace (it goes from the dining room to the porch)
– Their decor is heavy on skulls – awesome.
– (Any even decent followers of mine will understand this) is that they have Whipped Lightning behind their bar.  Bravo.

303 Bar and Grill
www.303dallas.com
303 W. Davis | (214)942-3030 

Specials (Monday-Friday, 3-7 p.m.)
$2 Bud Light draft, domestic bottles
$3 import bottles, wells, house wines, martinis, and cosmos 

smoke-d

Smoke replaced Cliff Cafe not too long ago and I couldn’t wait to try it.  I should have, though.  The tortuous route there due to two different wrecks started our day off on a bad note and the bbq restaurant had the potential to turn things around … but didn’t.

We were greeted by a host suited in overalls, a plaid shirt, and a sport coat – a surprising combination but he owned it.  We were led to a table in the back corner and had to step over AV equipment.  Sitting down, the tablecloths were topped with brown paper; a cozy touch but it proved to be annoying because it got caught every time I tried to move my arm.

We were delighted to hear that there was a mimosa deal so we each ordered a glass and began our mission to have a Sunday funday kicked off with bottomless mimosas.  They were strong and pretty darn good … but weren’t refilled quickly; we had to ask twice to get refills.  Finally, at the end of the meal we were given a pitcher.

Now for the service and food:  the menus were awesome – if you want to order family style, you fill out a scantron sheet.  Sounds efficient but we somehow got a wrong side, an extra 1/2 order of ribs, and were even charged wrong in the end.  Skip the beans – they tasted disgusting (the waiter even pulled a face when he tasted one).  Also, don’t bother with the “fresh out of the oven” biscuits because they came out cold in the middle and the pot holding the jelly they claim to make fresh every day was empty.  To top it all off … it was really expensive.

A friend actually made the comment when they started setting up the AV equipment that if the music is as good as the food we had better get out of there quickly.  Bottom line:  I would have been a lot happier if they just left Cliff Cafe there.

Extras:  large room with a pool table, plenty of parking, great view of Dallas from the Belmont Hotel, and a hotel conveniently located next door if you have too much to drink

Drink strength: 4 
Overall: 2

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $1.50 off all drinks
Sunday | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | $11 bottomless mimosas

Smoke
www.smokerestaurant.com
901 Fort Worth Avenue (beside the Belmont Hotel)
(214) 393-4141‎

Chan Thai

Toting the best happy hour in North Oak Cliff on a sign outside, we saw “thai” and “free appetizers” and couldn’t get through the door fast enough to test it out.  While the restaurant was much larger than we expected, we sadly have to shoot down that it was the best happy hour … even just in North Oak Cliff.

When we arrived, we were the only two people in the bar area so we had our choice of tables.  The first one at which we sat was wobbly.  So we moved.  The second, wobbly.  The third already had sugar packets under the offending legs so we settled.

While the drinks were cheap, they weren’t very strong at all and the free apps weren’t anything special.  The only drink worth order is their rum concoction dubbed the Samui.  Olivia’s only comment on our experience was, “That frozen rum concoction got our nights started off just swelllll!”

My best advice:  Ask them not to bother with the appetizers and to keep the Samuis flowing.

Drink strength:  2 
Overall:  2.5

Chan Thai Restaurant
www.chanthaidallas.com
312 West 7th Street (in the Bishop Arts District) | (214) 948-9956

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $3 house wine, $2.50 well drinks, and free appetizers